Four Cavaliers To Play in American Collegiate Invitational

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July 16, 2015

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The University of Virginia will be well represented at the second annual American Collegiate Invitational at the 2015 US Open, held Sept. 10-12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Current Virginia stars Ryan Shane (Falls Church, Va.), Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.), Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and former Cavalier great Mitchell Frank (Annandale, Va.) are among the group of top American collegiate players slated to compete in the tournament.

Shane headlines the men’s field after earning a wild card into the 2015 US Open with his NCAA singles championship in May. Elbaba will make her second appearance at the American Collegiate Invitational after finishing runner-up to North Carolina’s Jamie Loeb last year. Frank was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Men’s Championship after clinching Virginia’s second national championship and Kwiatkowski reached No. 1 in the ITA singles rankings and advanced to the NCAA singles semifinals.

Joining Shane, Kwiatkowski and Frank in the men’s field are Gonzales Austin (Vanderbilt), Winston Lin (Columbia), Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) and Quentin Monaghan (Notre Dame).

Robin Anderson (UCLA), Brooke Austin (Florida), Lauren Herring (Georgia), Josie Kuhlman (Florida), Maegan Manasse (California) and Loeb join Elbaba in the women’s field.

In addition to the participants listed above, the USTA will issue one men’s and women’s wild card to fill out each field of eight. The fields are comprised of the top two players in the ATP/WTA rankings (as of June 1) and the top five players in the year-end Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings (excluding those selected by pro ranking), including at least two graduating seniors or players who have turned pro/exhausted their collegiate eligibility.

The men’s/women’s American Collegiate Invitational champions will receive main draw wild card entries into the 2016 US Open if either is ranked No. 120 or better by the US Open entry deadline next summer. Otherwise, the winners will receive qualifying wild cards. The champions will also get wild cards into two USTA Pro Circuit events, while each runner-up will get one.

“It is important that college tennis continue to be a part of the US Open,” said US Open Tournament Director David Brewer. “We are excited to once again feature a high level of competition between some very talented players with the American Collegiate Invitational.”